Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)
Or contact us by e-mail.
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-
Or contact us by e-
Copyright 2008 Blue Rock Station, All Rights Reserved
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Issue Date: January 2006 Issue
The Best of Ohio
The beauty, adventure, and fun of Ohio is nowhere more evident than in our annual salute to the diverse delights of our state. Join us as we spotlight new finds and old favorites.
The Best of Ohio
The beauty, adventure, and fun of Ohio is nowhere more evident than in our annual salute to the diverse delights of our state. Join us as we spotlight new finds and old favorites.
Best Winter Vista
While you can’t climb the Marblehead Lighthouse in winter, the view from the base is a glittering panorama of ice and snow. The lighthouse, one of Ohio’s most-photographed landmarks, is often captured in summer’s light. But intrepid shutterbugs may find their best shots framed in winter’s illumination. 110 Lighthouse Dr. Marblehead, 419/734-4424.
Best Spot for Jazz
If you’re a touring jazz musician in the United States, you most likely know Jerry Gillotti. He’s been booking the best blues, jazz (and occasional
rock) acts around into Gilly’s nightclub in downtown Dayton for nearly three decades. From Christian McBride to Bobby “Blue” Bland to Jane Monheit to Joshua Redman, Gilly has brought them all to his small, intimate listening room at 132 S. Jefferson St. Two years ago he engendered a bit of controversy by taking the club smoke-free, an unusual move for a jazz venue that the non-smoking Gillotti says he doesn’t regret one bit. Business sure hasn’t gone down, and the music plays on. 937/228-8414.
Best River View
The Ohio River never looks better than when the Tall Stacks Music, Arts & Heritage Festival brings the world’s largest gathering of steamboats to Cincinnati. The assembly of riverboats is a nautical wonder, a signature event that takes place every three years and draws up to a million visitors. But the 5-day event this Oct. 4–8 can sell out early, especially for evening cruises, so check out www.tallstacks.com or call 866/578-2257 to make your plans.
Best Reason to Stay for Halftime
At Ohio University, people don’t go to the football games just to see the players; they go to see the band — the Marching 110. With their incredible energy, inspired dance routines and diverse repertoire, it’s no wonder the members have twice played in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and have performed at Carnegie Hall, presidential balls and for thousands of fans over the years. Watch them bust a move as they put their distinctive spirit into hits from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Michael Jackson, The Who and more.
Best Yard Sale
The first annual, 250-mile-long Ohio Lincoln Highway “Buy Way” yard sale last August drew shoppers to hundreds of homes, shops, churches and civic organizations along U.S. Rte. 30, from East Liverpool on Ohio’s eastern border to Van Wert and beyond at the state’s western edge. The event’s success has prompted organizers to do it again this year, Aug. 10–12. www.historicbyway.com.
Best Place to go Nuts
It’s easy to get a little gluttonous at Pistachio, a bakery in Columbus’ Short North neighborhood that serves up such heavenly “artisan” confections as White Chocolate Passion Fruit Terrine and Caramelized Banana Rum Cheesecake. For a year-and-a-half, Chef Spencer Budros has been supplying made-from-scratch tortes, biscotti, cookies, pies and macaroons as well as dessert wines and a selection of coffees and teas that have garnered rave reviews from every sweet-tooth in town. 680 N. Pearl St., Columbus, 614/220-9070.
Best Tune with a Hue
Cutting edge, unpretentious, critically acclaimed and entertaining, Red {an orchestra}, Cleveland’s newest ensemble is REDefining and REDesigning classical music to foster the genre’s REDiscovery. “Red” draws diverse audiences as much for its unique spin on the concert experience as its masterful shows of musicianship. Performances are a multi-sensory experience combining music with film, poetry, theater, literature and visual art. www.redanorchestra.org.
Best Place tp See for Miles and Miles
Ohio built this 352-foot stone tower on South Bass Island to mark the 100th anniversary of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s defeat of the British fleet during the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, as well as the peace between the U.S. and Canada ever since. To this day a trip to the top of the Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial provides a magnificent view of the lake, the surrounding islands, and the village and harbor of Put-in-Bay down below. There’s a visitor center that tells all about the battle and the war, including Perry’s still-remembered line, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” www.nps.gov/pevi
Best Backpacking
The best spot we’ve found for a good, rugged and sweaty-fun weekend of backpacking is Shawnee State Park near Portsmouth. The park sits within the 63,000-acre Shawnee State Forest, Ohio’s largest and possibly its most scenic forest. A 60-mile hiking trail is your chance to get lost in the best nature the state has to offer, with hilly vistas and primitive campsites aplenty. For those who prefer to plug in their hair dryer, there are also cabins, conventional campsites and a lodge, of course. Portsmouth is close by, in case you need to stock up on supplies. 740/858-6652. www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/shawnee.htm
Best use of Suspense
Considering the number of close games played by the Ohio State Buckeye basketball team at the Schottenstein Center, it’s fitting that the bridge outside the arena’s door is sustained by suspense. Opened to traffic in November 2003, the Lane Avenue Bridge is held in place over the Olentangy River by a series of steel cables that attach at the top of the 145-foot-tall towers standing in the center on each side of the 370-foot span. The cable-stay suspension bridge provides a landmark entryway to The Ohio State University campus.
Best Road Now Taken
The commute from Columbus to Athens and back just got a bit smoother, thanks to a brand-new, 12-mile stretch of U.S. Rte. 33 that loops around Lancaster. Estimated time of arrival to the Hocking Hills via the bypass: approximately 20 minutes earlier than before. Now, there’s plenty of time for that second cup of coffee.
Best Place to Shake Things Up
Pick your poison. Looking for a place to take the family for a Sunday afternoon treat? Load the kids in the SUV and head to Young’s Jersey Dairy, where folks line up to suck down the delicious homemade milkshakes. 6880 Springfield-Xenia Rd., Yellow Springs, 937/325-0629, www.youngsdairy.com. Looking for a place to mingle with singles? Hop into your car and head to Martini Italian Bistro, where they specialize in, well, making killer martinis and terrific Italian food. 445 N. High St., Columbus, 614/22-ITALY, www.cameronmitchell.com.
Best Place to Feed Your Soul
While you may run the risk of falling asleep at your desk when you return to work, sometimes you just can’t resist a plate full of hearty food covered in gravy. And, if you head to Bread & Better in Columbus’ Market Exchange District on Thursdays, that’s just what you’ll get when the soul food special is on the menu. Whether you choose the pork chops or chicken, it’s all good when you mop up what’s left on your plate with one of the restaurant’s melt-in-your-mouth rolls. 443 E. Main St., Columbus, 614/464-2732.
Best Spot for Quiet Contemplation
Since 1875, the faithful and the curious alike have been making the trip to tiny Carey in Hancock County, midway between Columbus and Toledo. They want to enjoy the serene Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation, a sumptuous old-world church and garden that honors Mary and her life. A gilded statue of the holy mother patterned after one in Luxembourg is at the center of the basilica, and some believe the place has special healing properties. 315 Clay St., 419/ 396-7107. www.olcshrine.com
Best Pajama Party
Ah, the beauty of Amish Country at dawn: the sun rising above rolling hills; those first few black buggies ambling down empty roads; and hundreds of shivering shopaholics, clad only in pajamas, standing ankle-deep in snow. They’ve got the world’s largest annual pajama party to thank for those smiles frozen (literally) to their faces. On the last Saturday in January, picturesque Berlin promises as much as 40 percent off merchandise at nearly a dozen area shops –– but only to those customers dressed in their PJs. Last year, 500 women began lining up outside Country Craft Cupboard at 4:30 a.m. (never mind that the store didn’t open until 6). www.amishgateway.com
Best History Lesson
The Freedom Summer Memorial, a stone amphitheater in a peaceful, sylvan setting at Miami University in Oxford, marks a little-known chapter in Ohio’s involvement in the civil rights movement. Etched on the backs of the amphitheater seats are headlines from the summer of 1964, when the media spotlight shone on the voter registration drive in the South. The Western campus (then Western College, a private college that merged with Miami in 1974) was a training site for volunteers, including Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner, who set off from Oxford in June 1964 and were killed less than 24 hours after arriving in Mississippi. http://wcp.muohio.edu/
Best Way to Start Your Meal
If El Meson isn’t the best restaurant in the Dayton area (and plenty of folks think it is), then it’s definitely got the best appetizers in town, if not just about anywhere. This exotic Latin fusion and Hispanic specialty restaurant owned by the Castro family in West Carrollton, south of Dayton, is known for its wide variety of tapas, meant to be shared and enjoyed as much as the meal itself. There are dozens to choose from (and wash down with sangria; white or red, your choice), and they arrive at the table almost instantaneously. Some of us never actually get around to the dinner course. 903 E. Dixie Dr., 937/859-8229.
Best Maple Syrup
The Motz family, founders of Clough Valley Maple Syrup near Cincinnati, has been extracting sap from hundreds of trees and turning it into maple syrup for two generations. The sap starts running in February, and visitors are welcome at the nightly boilings. The Motzes produce just 900 pints of the dark amber, but nonetheless the syrup won a blue ribbon at the Ohio State Fair. 5531 Clough Pike, Anderson Township, 513/231-6567.
Best Convergence in the Country
At the annual Darke County Steam Threshers Reunion, enthusiasts gather for what is billed as the largest gathering of antique tractors, gas engines, farm machinery and steam engines in the state. There’s plenty of log-sawing, wheat threshing and, needless to say, tractor races. The 2006 event takes place July 6-9. York Woods, St. Rte. 127 at Ansonia (near Greenville), 937/538-3676.
Best Cheap(er) Thrill
The tallest ride of its kind in the world, Skyhawk, the new giant swing at Cedar Point amusement park, will propel riders 125 feet in the air and reach speeds of 60 mph. And it will cost less this year to subject oneself to this arc of terror: Admission to the park has been reduced by $5 for adults (from $44.95 to $39.95). Tickets for senior citizens and age 3 and older (under 48 inches tall) have been reduced from $24.95 to $9.95. www.cedarpoint.com
Best Green House
Imagine living in a house made from tires packed with dirt. Jay and Annie Warmke have just such an abode, and they call it Blue Rock Station. It’s more than their home, though; it’s an educational center for Earthships — dwellings made from natural or recycled materials that can support themselves with almost complete independence. The Warmkes’ Earthship, which they started building in 1996, was Ohio’s first. Now, they have a 38-acre retreat where they teach people about earth-friendly construction, offer hands-on workshops on a variety of topics and let people trek around the land with one of their llamas. 1190 Virginia Ridge Rd., Philo. 740/674-4300. www.bluerockstation.com
Best Bugs
Bugs may be icky, but everyone loves the soft flitting and colorful fluttering of butterflies. There are plenty to be seen at the delightful Butterfly House of Whitehouse, near Toledo, where 500 species from around the world float through a garden setting that lets you get up close to these wonderful critters. Since the butterfly lifespan runs its course in just a few weeks, new ones are introduced each week. The Butterfly House is open seasonally, May through September, at 11455 Obee Rd. 419/877-2733. www.butterfly-house.com
Best Freebie
Check out the UnMuseum, the children's museum located on the top floor of the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati. The UnMuseum features free art supplies (clay, posterboard, foam, beads, and the like) as well as interactive exhibits for kids ages 5 and up. There's free admission on Monday evenings, 5-9 P.M. (But don't let the tykes step off on the wrong floor, where decidedly R-Rated art is displayed.) 44 E. Sixth St., Cincinnati, 513/345-8400. www.contemporaryartcenter.org
Best Bet for Bibliophiles
Way back before the Internet allowed you to research a subject in seconds, people happily whiled away silent hours amoung the stacks at the local library. It's nice to know there are spots where that's still taking place. Thanks to such criteria as the number of customer visits. The Columbus Metropolitan Library ranks no. 1 among all large city libraries in the nation, according to the 2005 Hennen's American Library Ratings, published in American Libraries Magazine. For the past 125 years, the main library and its branches have prided themselves on helpful librarians, educational programs, and a collection that drew 8.2 million visits last year alone. www.columbuslibrary.org
